The Shadow In the Wall

In the still of night, as silence falls,

A figure stirs within the walls.

Not flesh nor bone, but dark and slight,

A shadow dances in the moon's pale light.

It creeps along the cracks and seams,

A flicker born of fractured dreams.

No face it wears, no eyes to see,

Yet its presence whispers hauntingly.

By day, it hides in corners tight,

Swallowed whole by the sun's bright light.

But come the dusk, it spreads,

Stretching long like unseen hands.

Its steps are soft, a ghostly tread,

Tracing paths where fears are fed.

It knows the fears we hide,

And lingers where our doubts reside.

"Who are you?" I dared to say,

But the shadow laughed and slid away.

No voice it used, just movement sly,

A passing glimpse as it went by.

I felt its chill, a heavy weight,

A bond tethered I couldn't break.

In its form, my face would make,

A mirror dark, a space shaded.

It spoke in silences, thoughts untrue,

Reflecting things I never knew.

Lost moments, words not spoken,

Remaining guilt and silent dread.

It knows cracks within my soul,

Those places where time never cooled.

Feeding on the pain and love misplaced,

On every moment my heart has embraced.

But watching as its shape would change,

A thought emerged—a bold escape.

For shadows need a light to cast,

Their fleeting forms can never last.

I struck a match, the flame burned bright,

It flickered strong against the night.

The shadow flinched, began to fade,

Its edges blurred, its power swayed.

“You’re part of me, but not my all,”

I said aloud to the shadowed wall.

“I’ll face my fears, embrace the light,

And end your rule on this dark night.”

The shadow paused, then broke apart,

A fragile thing, no beating heart.

For what are shadows but fleeing lies,

That vanish when we raise our eyes?

Now the wall is plain, the room is free,

No ghost doth haunt to molest me.

Yet in my inmost soul I know

That shadow in the wall did grow.

It taught me truths, both cold and grey,

That in my heart of hearts I may.

But shadows pass, and light will be,

If we choose to let our courage show. And though the wall is bare tonight,

I know the shadow waits for light.

It cannot die, it cannot flee,

For it's a part of you and me.

It thrives in doubt, in whispered fear,

In every tear we hold too near.

Yet now I know its secret guise—

The shadow's strength comes from our lies.

When honesty becomes our flame,

And love no longer bows to shame,

It contracts, cannot be there,

Evaporates as at day's appearance.

And let it observe, let it return,

Since with each truth, one will burn;

Its grasp so dark fails to contain

A heart so brave, a will in vain.

Yet shadows teach despite their wrong,

Their messages appear in strange song.

They show the fissures which we fail to see,

The inner depth of you and me.

And thus I stare upon the still wall,

I feel no fear, no urge to call.

The shadow lingers, small, subdued,

Its presence now a tempered mood.

I understand it has its place,

A fleeing trace, a hidden face.

But I'm no prisoner to its call,

For light resides within us all.

So if you see a shadow creep,

As you awake or while you sleep,

Do not despair, do not withdraw,

For shadows rise in us all.

Face it firm, let courage lead,

And plant within the light's bold seed.

For even walls that seem so tall

Can't trap the light within us all.

And when the night begins to fall,

I'll stand again before the wall.

For now I know, and now I see,

The shadow there can't conquer me.And so the shadow waits in vain,

Its whispers dulled, its reach restrained.

No longer can it twist my mind,

For in its void, new strength I find.

I see it now for what it is,

A fragment lost, a truth dismissed.

A passing part of life's great whole,

Not the keeper of my soul.

Its darkness once had felt so vast,

A looming relic of the past.

But now I see it small, confined,

A shadow born within the mind.

The wall itself begins to change,

Its surface shifts, its shape reclaims.

No longer cracked, no longer worn,

It feels like something newly born.

The room grows warmer, filled with peace,

A quiet calm, a sweet release.

For facing shadows heals the scar,

It shows us who we truly are.

And though the night will come again,

With moonlight soft and whispers thin,

I will not fear the shadow's call,

For I am stronger than the wall.

The shadow fades, its grip undone,

Outshone now by the rising sun.

A silent watcher, left behind,

A fleeting trace of the human mind.

So if you find a shadow near,

Do not give in to doubt or fear.

Its darkness cannot dim your light,

For you are stronger than the night.

Embrace the truth, confront it all,

And rise beyond the shadowed wall.

For in its place, you'll surely find

The freedom born of a fearless mind.